News

The Pitot House will be closed Saturday, March 2, 2019 due to the Krewe of Endymion parade scheduled in the neighborhood. We apologize for the inconvenience! Hope everyone has a safe and happy Mardi Gras.Read more

Join Brad Vogel of the Walt Whitman Initiative as he brings the poet’s months in New Orleans to life during the bicentennial year of Whitman's birth. A former New Orleans fellow with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Vogel now serves as Executive Director of NY Preservation Archive Project. Well-known to many New Orleanians, Vogel when in New Orleans ran Inside the Footprint blog, documenting the destruction on the lower mid-city properties for the new hospital. Vogel's presentation will be one of hundreds of commemorative events taking place across the United States in 2019 under the umbrella of the Whitman 2019 Consortium.

Walt Whitman, America's most famous poet, is known for his connections to New York, Washington D.C. and Camden, New Jersey. But he spent crucial time in New Orleans as well. He...Read more

We had a blast! Pitot House Life on the Bayou Heritage Fair special thanks.

Last Saturday, artisans brought traditional crafts and activities typical for the 1800's and 1900's back to the Pitot House on the banks of Bayou St. John, delighting of our many guests. Thank you to the following people and groups who made our day very special with their contributions to our event:

The Pitot House Life on the Bayou Heritage Fair will show what it might have been like to live in New Orleans' earliest settlement on the banks of Bayou St. John 300 years ago, especially connections to Native Americans, with demonstrations, entertainment, storytelling, re-enactments, children's activities and tours of the historic Pitot House. Children of all ages, parents and adults are invited to experience this one-day special event featuring more than twenty local artisans and craftsmen at work using centuries-old techniques, including re-enactors in period costume. Grayhawk Perkins, who is of Native American Choctaw and Houma nation descent will share tales of ancient cultures. Funding for artisan appearances is made possible by a grant from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

The Pitot House Life on the Bayou Heritage Fair brings typical 1800s era activities back to the circa...Read more

with panel discussion and reception at The Historic New Orleans Collection

On Thursday, June 14, Louisiana Landmarks Society launched the publication of its new book, Gateway to New Orleans: Bayou St. John, 1708 – 2018 with a standing room only panel discussion within the Boyd Cruise Room of The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Research Center (THNOC). Daniel Hammer, vice president and deputy director of THNOC, welcomed the crowd, followed by Landmarks Society’s Second Vice President Sandra Stokes, who provided a quick overview of the organization’s involvement. The Louisiana Landmarks Society was engaged as the publishing partner for the book by the late preservationist and author Mary Louise Christovich, who conceived the idea for the project and made its publication possible.

A respected and renowned preservationist, historian, teacher, author and museum consultant, Ann Masson has made the protection of the French Quarter’s residential qualities her personal and professional mission. Throughout her life, Ann has been fascinated with architecture and came to New Orleans to...Read more

(NEW ORLEANS, LA) Louisiana Landmarks Society is proud to announce a new addition to the organization’s programming: Bayou St. John Walking Tours. This is the first and only tour of the Bayou St. John area, created especially for Landmarks Society and led by Pitot House docent Jamie Barker. The tour is a stroll through 300 years of history experienced through the beauty and ambiance of New Orleans’ oldest neighborhood.

Picturesque Bayou St. John was the site of New Orleans’ first European settlement, and French explorers Iberville and Bienville’s first landing in 1699. “The area’s importance to the founding of New Orleans has long been overlooked,” said Landmarks Society president Sandra Stokes. “In this tricentennial year Louisiana Landmarks Society is giving our historic Bayou St. John the attention and appreciation it deserves,” continued Stokes.

The Bayou St. John Walking Tour, led by licensed tour guides, delves into the history of the Bayou St. John area, its...Read more

The new downtown ferry terminal has a final design in the can and a soft construction start date penciled for around the upcoming Mardi Gras season. But plans remain mostly up in the air for how its companion footbridge will look, according to architects and officials who gave a public update Tuesday night (Dec. 12).

The current 37-year-old terminal is expected to be demolished sometime before Mardi Gras 2018, according to Brian O-Reilly, an engineer with Royal Engineers and Consultants and the project manager for the terminal replacement. He estimated the project should take between 12 and 14 months to complete, depending...Read more

Provision championed by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy takes an important step in preserving the HTC, a pro-growth economic development program that has created jobs and generated private investment throughout Louisiana.

New Orleans, LA – Preservation leaders from across Louisiana and the nation applauded efforts by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to preserve the federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) in legislation overhauling the nation’s tax code. At the same time, there is extreme concern among historic preservation stakeholders regarding a provision in a tax reform bill (H.R. 1) passed yesterday by the House of Representatives that would entirely repeal the federal HTC.

Louisiana is a national leader in historic rehabilitation and usage of the federal HTC. Repealing the HTC would have devastating consequences on neighborhoods and economic development throughout the state.

Tax overhaul legislation, as introduced in the U.S. Senate on November 9, would have cut...Read more

It is with a great sense of sorrow and loss that Louisiana Landmarks Society mourns the passing of one of the preservation greats, Mary Louise Christovich.

Mrs. Christovich was the embodiment of a life filled with achievements that have and will continue to benefit all of Louisiana. She was a prolific author, teacher, historian, advocate, fundraiser, preservationist, innovator and role model. Mary Louise Christovich was the quintessential Grande Dame of preservation – hearkening back to the heroic likes of Elizabeth Werlein and later Martha Robinson – but, of course, with her own unique spin.

Mrs. Christovich served on countless boards, volunteering her talent and energy for decades for the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Louisiana State Museum, Friends of the Cabildo, the Louisiana Council for the Vieux Carre, the Central Business District Improvement Association, and the Preservation Resource Center. As a supporter of Louisiana Landmarks Society, she...Read more

Join Louisiana Landmarks Society as we celebrate the centennial of the first jazz recording at our annual Fête du Jardin – highlighted by none other than The Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble.

This year’s “Jazz in the Garden” honors Patricia Gay for her lifetime contribution to preservation. Buy your tickets today!

Did you know…. it’s been exactly 100 years since the first jazz recording? Here’s more…..

1917. The United States entered World War I; Buffalo Bill Cody died and John F. Kennedy was born; and New Orleans Jazz was first recorded and on its way to becoming a worldwide musical phenomenon.

Jazz had emerged from the gritty streets of fin de siècle New Orleans. While a complex fusion of antecedent styles and cultures, it evolved into an entirely new musical art form, characterized by a “good time”...Read more

The Master Plan Amendment process is in the home stretch --- yet there is much to be concerned about, and in short order any revisions must be requested. On Monday, July 10 at 10 a.m. the City Council’s Committee of the Whole will meet to hear public comments. On July 27th, the City Council will vote on the proposed Master Plan Amendments that are not contested. Everyone should be watching and aware of the planning and zoning changes that are about to become law and know what it means for your neighborhood, and our city.

Our top picks of select amendments that could be most troublesome as proposed are listed by topic below. You can click on each one for a brief synopsis. If you agree with our analysis, please take a moment to send an email to the City Council and copy the City Planning Commission -- cpcinfo@nola.gov, and please also cc...Read more

The Orleans Parish School Board is poised to auction off the historic Carrollton Courthouse Thursday (March 23). But a 60-year-old legal clause might block the controversial sale.

When the Orleans Parish School Board bought the property from the City of New Orleans in 1957, it came with a requirement: "All of said property herein transferred is hereby declared to be dedicated exclusively to school purposes," the act of sale says...

One of the most outstanding architectural sites in Louisiana, with some of the richest history, is slated for auction to the highest bidder on Thursday. The Old Carrollton Courthouse in New Orleans was built in 1855 by architect Henry Howard based on designs by Thomas Jefferson. The Greek Revival building remains one of the state’s most significant buildings outside of the French Quarter.

The courthouse served as the seat of government for Jefferson Parish from its construction until 1874, when the City of Carrollton was annexed to New Orleans, then another 120 years as a New Orleans public school building and informal community center for the Carrollton area. In its years serving as a courthouse, it was the site of important legal judgments, including an antebellum decision affirming the personhood of slaves. It was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. In its later life, the courthouse became McDonogh 23 as part of a pioneering investment in public education. It...Read more

by Sandra L. Stokes, Mid-city Messenger, Aug. 22

It has become all too familiar in historic neighborhoods – perfectly proportioned historic homes demolished for totally out-of-scale McMansions; harmonious streetscapes marred by inappropriate new construction; or additions that look like cancerous growths on what was a perfectly fine home.

Louisiana Landmarks Society recognizes the advantages of local historic districts in maintaining scale and character in neighborhoods, while providing stability and predictability. At the same time, we also understand the concerns of residents that being subject to the jurisdiction of the Historic Landmarks District Commission (HDLC) might infringe upon their personal property rights...

Short-term rentals of entire homes in residential areas should remain illegal in New Orleans, the City Planning Commission said Tuesday.

For the second time, the commission voted to urge the City Council not to allow whole-home rentals, even as other types of rentals to tourists would be legalized and regulated throughout the city.

The recommendation to disapprove the whole-home rentals came from a unanimous commission after almost six hours of debate and public comment in a City Council chamber packed with short-term rental owners in white and opponents in red...

Image:Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is facing a tough choice in two of its most prominent markets: New York and San Francisco.Thomson Reuters

Date: June 30, 2016

Airbnb called it an "unprecedented step" when itdecided to sue its hometown after San Francisco passed stricter home-sharing regulations. In New York, lawmakers voted to fine people who rent their apartment for less than 30 days, a move tech leaders slammed as limiting Airbnb's potential.

The New Orleans City Council's decision to take down four confederate monuments has landed all of the city's "iconic markers" on the Louisiana Landmarks Society's annual list of most endangered historic sites.

Also making the wide-ranging 2016 list are a fort built in the wake of the War of 1812; a Greek revival townhouse in the Warehouse District; a sculpture by artist Enrique Alférez; a 1927 masonry building, a late 19th-century camelback shotgun house; the French Quarter's Pedesclaux-Lemonnier House; all of New Orleans' parks and the entire Bywater neighborhood...

Advocate staff phot by John McCusker --Sylvia Robinson enjoys her lunch along the edge of the Mississippi River at the Fly at Audubon Park as a ship passes Monday, January 11, 2016. The public space along the river made the list of the New Orleans nine most endangered landmarks.

The annual list of endangered historic sites in New Orleans put out by the...Read more

Since the founding of New Orleans, women have played an active role in shaping the city. The approaching tricentennial in 2018 provides an ideal opportunity for reflecting on the many women who fought for the welfare and rights of their fellow citizens and the preservation of the city’s rich heritage. The exhibition Voices of Progress: Twenty Women Who Changed New Orleans presents the stories of twenty remarkable women whose contributions range from the nineteenth-century campaign for...Read more

Neighborhood Participation Program: Deadline for Comments Extended to February 15

Email your comments to the executive director of the City Planning Commission at CPCinfo@nola.gov about the Neighborhood Participation Program (NPP).

In order to ensure that neighborhood residents routinely and consistently have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on development projects which might affect them, the New Orleans Master plan states that the City shall create an effective Neighborhood Participation Program. That goal has yet to be achieved. City Planning is now is conducting a study considering modifications to the NPP to further enhance early notification and the dissemination of information related to development projects.

Here are some points to make in your comments:

--The time and place of meetings must be optimal for neighbors to attend.

An array of French Quarter and preservationist groups is calling on the courts to reverse the City Council’s preliminary approval of a 190-foot-tall hotel and condominium development near Royal and Iberville streets.

PRELIMINARY APPROVAL TO NEW ROYAL STREET HIGH RISE GRANTED BY CITY COUNCIL (5-2)

New Orleans City Council overrules City Planning Commission's opposition to 121 Royal high-rise following 11th-hour promise to reduce height.

CLICK HERE for City Planning Commission 8/25 Meeting page that includes their FULL REPORT: Scroll to #4 to download full pdf.

Join the Louisiana Landmarks Society, the Preservation Resource Center, Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents, and Associates, the Foundation for Historic Louisiana, and French Quarter Citizens in taking a stand against the proposed high-rise development at 121 Royal Street....

The Tulane School of Architecture has agreed to collaborate with LSU's Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture for the project, which will begin in October. Michael Shoriak, an adjunct lecturer at Tulane's Master of Preservation Studies program, will co-lead the effort with Lake Douglas, an associate professor of landscape architecture at LSU......Read more

This week marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a devastating storm that affected the entire Gulf Coast. In this three-part series we'll hear from three individuals—Richard Moe, Walter Gallas, and Patty Gay—who worked on recovery and preservation efforts in the wake of the storm.

Saying the project violates New Orleans’ newly adopted zoning law, the City Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to oppose a proposal to build a hotel and condominium tower on the edge of the French Quarter that would rise 200 feet above the existing height limit.

The site, in the 100 block of Royal Street, is in Councilwoman Nadine Ramsey’s district. It is technically in the Central Business District but in a block often considered part of the French Quarter......Read more

The old Carrollton Courthouse, photographed during an Audubon Charter School event in 2012 (an UptownMessenger.com file)

After more than a dozen speakers took to the microphone at a forum dedicated to saving the Carrollton Courthouse on Wedenesday night, a commmon theme emerged from their comments: The best future for the landmark structure is som sort of public use... read more here.

The local campus for a French university. A library. A museum. A community center.

Those were among the ideas offered by New Orleans residents Wednesday night for redeveloping the vacant Carrollton Courthouse, which is scheduled for auction and, according to preservationists, at risk for demolition.

Last month, the Carrollton Courthouse was named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2015 list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.” The list is intended to raise awareness about threats to sites that preservationists consider national treasures. This year’s list also included the Grand Canyon, South Street Seaport in New York and the old U.S. Mint in San Francisco...Read more hereRead more

Sandra Stokes of the Louisiana Landmarks Society speaks in front of the Carrollton Courthouse on Wednesday, June 24. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)

A day after the former Carrollton Courthouse was named to a prominent list of endangered national landmarks, New Orleans city and school officials gathered on its lawn pledging to seek a public use for the shuttered building that properly honors its history.

The courthouse building — built in 1855 by noted architect Henry Howard at a site where Andrew Jackson had commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans — actually spent the majority of its life as a public school. Starting in 1889 as McDonogh No. 23,...Read more

The city of New Orleans is considering an expansion of its historic preservation districts that could roughly double the area subject to strict regulations. But those hoping for stricter standards on demolitions, exterior renovations and new construction face a formidable opponent.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu not only opposes expanding the Historic District Landmark Commission's remit to regulate building and renovations, his vision for the city's preservation regime would actually shrink the area where you are required to seek special permission before demolishing structures.

NEW ORLEANS – This city is known the world over for its unique architecture, but so many of the structures that make it one-of-a-kind are threatened.

In an effort to save or protect some of structures, the Louisiana Landmarks Society on Thursday unveiled its newest New Orleans' Nine, its annual list of the nine most endangered buildings in the city.

The Louisiana Landmarks Society put out its annual list of the most endangered historic New Orleans sites on Thursday, including everything from private homes to an old railroad building and the city’s entire riverfront.

The aim of the list is to raise public awareness about historic resources and rally public will to save them from oblivion.

“This is a serious list that identifies historic sites that are threatened and may be lost,” said R. Stephen Chauvin, the society’s first vice president and chairman of the selection committee. “The list alone won’t save these sites; only the community can do that.” ...

A 19th century power station designed by famed architect Thomas Sully, a strategic fort that saw action in the Civil War, and the New Orleans riverfront, from Holy Cross to the Lower Garden District, have made it on the Louisiana Landmarks Society's annual list of the most endangered historic sites in New Orleans.

The society unveiled its 10th New Orleans Nine list on Thursday morning at the Pitot House on Bayou St. John. Also on the list were three mid-19th century houses as well as the Touro Shakspeare Home, a municipal almshouse built in 1933 in Algiers, and the S. W. Green Mansion, a Craftsman-style residence built in 1928...,

The city panel overseeing demolitions in much of Uptown New Orleans split this week over a request to tear down what may be one of the oldest houses in the Audubon neighborhood and replace it with new construction, after the owner and preservationists debated whether or not it has deteriorated beyond repair...

Louisiana Landmarks Society recently celebrated the achievements of architects, contractors and developers for 18 outstanding projects completed in our city in the last year with an awards presentation and reception. A stunning new space on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, Peoples Health New Orleans Jazz Market, was the location. An award-winner itself, the venue, which is now the official home of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, began life as the Dryades Market.

Historic preservation, while sometimes criticized as anti-development, is in a very real sense good “economic development.” In a city like New Orleans, with its numerous historic neighborhoods and distinctive culture, preservation represents genuine progress. It encourages contemporary uses of our historic buildings — and the tourism and tax dollars that follow.

A new organization is forming within the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum to help with the needs of the historical building that once served as a home for many light-keepers and their families. The Friends of the Light House Keepers Cottage wants to assist the museum with sustaining and restoring the cottage and making it available as a resource for educational tours and community events.

On Thursday (April 9) from 2 until 4:30 p.m. the organization is hosting a Susan Thurston Tea. A traditional three-course tea will include a selection of savories and sweets provided by Abita Roasting and Friends Coastal Restaurant, Morgan Street Bakery, the Lake House, Maison Lafitte and Vianne's Tea House. Guests will be entertained by a musical ensemble featuring vintage classics on harp. Pat Brister, St. Tammany's parish president, will serve as keynote speaker.

Benjamin Thurston served as the first light-keeper. He and his wife Susan had 12 children. Their...Read more

The Louisiana Landmarks Society (LLS), which promotes historic preservation through education, advocacy, and operation of the Pitot House, today announces the eighteen winners of the 2015 Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation. These awards honor projects completed in Orleans Parish (outside of the French Quarter) in 2014 which represent outstanding examples of restoration or rehabilitation of historic buildings, as well as new construction in historic neighborhoods.

The 2015 Louisiana Landmarks Society Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation will be presented and celebrated at a reception and fundraiser on April 15, 2015. Major support is provided by DonahueFavret Contractors, Green Coast Enterprises, HRI Properties, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS: A MEANINGFUL VICTORY explores how the British misjudged their opponent and miscalculated the complexities of the battle ground. It also describes why the multi-cultural population of New Orleans and Louisiana proved the naysayers wrong about their loyalties to a young nation. WYES-TV/Channel 12 will air the hour-long documentary commemorating the 200 year old battle on Wednesday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m.

The War of 1812 was not over, the treaty not ratified and the British not likely to retreat if victory had been theirs, which some argue could have been the case if the British had continued their successful assault on American defenses on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, across from the main battlefield in Chalmette on the East Bank.

Instead, the American triumph over the British built a sense of national pride and confidence the young nation had not yet experienced. It...Read more

Named to Louisiana Landmark’s listing of New Orleans’ Nine Most Endangered Sites in 2010, the General Laundry, Cleaners and Dyers Building is threatened with demolition. Constructed in 1929-30, the building is noted for its exuberant Art Deco terra cotta façade which is highly visible from Orleans Avenue.

The demolition application was deferred at a recent City Council meeting. The building is in Councilman Jared Brossett’s district. Posts about the building can be found at https://www.facebook.com/prcno?ref=hl

We urge you to contact City Council members and join the voices of opposition to the demolition. The building could have a promising future along the newly developed Lafitte Greenway.

To commemorate the Windsor Court Hotel’s 30th anniversary and the community in which it thrives, the hotel is launching a “30 Ways to Give Back” contest this holiday season. The winning organization will receive a room rental, catering and event coordination for an event in 2015 (valued at $10,000!).

The first round of Windsor Court’s #30Ways to Give Back contest closes Sunday at midnight! Help Louisiana Landmarks Society make it to the top 5 by voting for us once daily!http://bit.ly/1x9iKhrRead more

The Historic District Landmarks Commission was to consider Louisiana Landmarks Society’s nomination of the former Marine Hospital/New Orleans Adolescent Hospital campus site at 210 State Street for landmark study on Thursday, September 11. Prior to the meeting, Landmarks received word that Louisiana Children’s Medical Center (LCMC), the owners, were going to request a deferral for a second time.

At the Thursday hearing, the hospital’s attorney, Justin Schmidt, informed the commission that although LCMC had been leasing the property for a time, LCMC only took ownership in February of 2014. Schmidt stated that LCMC was in the process of working on a comprehensive master plan for all of its campuses. He requested deferral of the HDLC landmarks study for one month, at...Read more

Photo Credits: Louisiana Landmarks Society and Google Earth

UPDATE 9/12/14: To find out what happened at the HDLC meeting, click here.

UPDATE 9/9/14: Children’s Hospital has requested a deferral of Thursday’s HDLC consideration. The item has been deferred to the next regularly scheduled meeting, October 9, 1:00 pm, in the City Council Chamber.

September 6, 2014

On Thursday, September 11, the Historic District Landmarks Commission (HDLC) will...Read more

More than two years of work to save the sexton cottages in New Orleans' publicly-owned Lafayette Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2 was not enough to prevent the proposed demolition of the historic cottages by the City of New Orleans.

In March 2012, representatives of Louisiana Landmarks Society, the Foundation for Historical Louisiana, and Save Our Cemeteries visited Holt, Lafayette No. 1 and Lafayette No. 2 Cemeteries to review the work being proposed by the city. The preservation groups learned that the proposed $2.6 million of improvements at cemeteries across the city included the demolition of the historic sexton cottages at these three cemeteries.

Because federal funds were scheduled to be used for the costs of replacing the cottages, the required Section 106 process was initiated by FEMA, and representatives of the non-profits, along with other government agencies and contractors joined in the review...Read more

One of 2014's New Orleans' Nine Most Endangered is the Federal Historic Tax Credit, which gives developers a tax credit worth 20 percent of qualifying restoration expenses for historically-appropriate renovations of buildings 50 years or older. The National Trust is attempting to reach 600 organizational sign-on's to a letter to Congress. So far the letter has 400 signers and the goal is to obtain an additional 200 by July 8th when Congress returns from break.

Louisiana Landmarks Society has signed on, and we are asking you to forward this email to any preservation partners you support and ask them to sign onto this important letter and add their voice to the campaign to protect the historic tax credit. Reach beyond preservation groups, ask local companies, developers, firms, etc. anyone who...Read more

The InterContinental Hotels Group featured Pitot House in a post about the top, family-friendly attractions in New Orleans. Titled "Things To Do In New Orleans That Don’t Involve Drinking Or Partying," Pitot House and Bayou St. John take the top spot. The post gives visitors a brief overview of activities to do in New Orleans, helping them to think outside of the box and outside of the French Quarter. To read the post visit: blog.ihgcom.Read more

In less than three months, the state's obligation to FEMA to look for a developer for the abandoned 20-story limestone structure ends, opening up options that range from doing nothing to demolishing the 1930s-era landmark.

Neither of those choices appeal to any of the agencies or advocates involved.

The demolition of four historic buildings in the heart of downtown New Orleans to make way for a 21- story hotel goes before the City Council on Thursday, May 22. You can help by asking the City Councilmembers to insist that redevelopment at the corner of Canal and Tchoupitoulas incorporates these historically and architecturally significant buildings into the designs, and uses the adjacent surface parking lot for new construction. ​

Please write to theCity Councilmembers. Below is a sample letter to cut and paste, or edit with your message.

Thank you for helping to preserve the history and architecture of New Orleans.

The National Trust has released a statement to the City Council urging councilmembers to oppose the proposed zoning change which would allow buildings as high as 60 feet is a historic neighborhood of single story houses. Louisiana Landmarks Society issued its own letter to the Council supporting the neighborhood’s position that the proposed development at the former Holy Cross School is out of scale and out of character with this historic district and that it will set a dangerous precedent. The City Council takes up this matter Thursday, May 7. Zoning matters generally begin at 11:00 am.

Friends and fans of the Louisiana Landmarks Society gathered on a lovely spring evening for April’s celebration of Vino on the Bayou at Pitot House, an 18th-century Creole plantation house on Bayou St. John. With wine, music and food, proceeds of the Vino on the Bayou spring series support the society’s mission of promoting historic preservation. Vino returns May 30 and June 20.

Louisiana Landmarks Society received the following alert from Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates, Inc. (VCPORA). Landmarks has concerns about the process for public input and about some of the changes made. Please take a look at the message below and contact the City Council about your concerns.

*****

ALERT: Troubling non-Bourbon Street issues added to Sound Ordinance!

On January 16, 2014, New Orleans City Council Members Kristin Gisleson Palmer and Stacy Head said in a joint statement that the city would limit its next sound ordinance to the Vieux Carré Entertainment district (Bourbon Street.)

However, significant additional language – much of it citywide – is in the ordinance to be voted upon this Thursday. Major changes to your rights as a citizen will be changed by City Hall. They have not been publicly vetted.

The Saenger and Civic theaters, a firehouse in Faubourg Marigny and the Rosa F. Keller Library & Community Center in Broadmoor are among 15 projects that the Louisiana Landmarks Society is saluting in its first Awards for Excellence in Historic Preservation. The award-winning projects illustrate that the best way to preserve a historic building is to keep it in use, said Louisiana Landmarks Society Executive Director Walter Gallas.

"I love seeing historic places go back into use, such as the Civic Theater, which had 30 years in mothballs, and the...Read more

Last weekend, the historic Pitot House hosted its fourth annual holiday event along the banks of scenic Bayou St. John. Le Marché des Fêtes, or holiday market, embraced our city’s rich Creole traditions and featured more than two dozen local vendors and artisans to the delight of shoppers seeking unique gifts for family and friends. Even the weather cooperated, with patrons bundling up for a shopping day experience that had the look and feel of a 17th century Creole village.

The day offered something for all. Papa Noël dusted off his vintage costume for the affair, and he was busy attending to important duties with the little ones in attendance.

The Louisiana Landmarks Society will celebrate 19th century Creole Christmas traditions at its annual Le Marché des Fêtes, literally, the holiday market, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, at the historic Pitot House on Bayou St. John.

Louisiana Landmarks Society submitted extensive comments this week to the City Planning Commission calling out problematic features of the proposed Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO) and urging planners to respond to citizens’ call for a side-by-side comparison of the existing and proposed CZO. See below for the full text of the letter drafted by Walter Gallas, LLS Executive Director and Sandra Stokes, LLS Advocacy Chair and LLS Board of Trustees Second Vice President.

Robert Rivers, Executive Director

Leslie Alley, Deputy Director

City Planning Commission

City Hall - 7th Floor

1300 Perdido St.

New Orleans, LA 70112

RE: Further Comments on the Proposed Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance

Dear Mr. Rivers and Ms. Alley:

Louisiana Landmarks Society (LLS) is pleased to see the release of the new proposed Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (CZO.) We understand and appreciate how--consistent with good planning practice--...Read more

There is no even ground in Holt Cemetery.
Every inch of the potter’s field, resting in the shadow of live oaks and Delgado Community College, has been hollowed by generations of New Orleans’ poor burying their dead.Read more

The following statement was presented by Louisiana Landmarks Society's Executive Director Walter Gallas on July 30, 2013 during a meeting of the Review Committee hearing proposals for the New Orleans' World Trade Center building on behalf of the New Orleans Building Corporation.

Louisiana Landmarks Society named New Orleans' World Trade Center building to its 2013 "New Orleans Nine Most Endangered Sites." Our organization opposes any plan that makes demolition of the building a condition of development. Starting with demolition has been the basis of too many plans in New Orleans--and a misguiding basis, at that.

We also believe that it is misleading for some to argue that repurposing and redeveloping the building will close it to the public--and using this line of reasoning to argue for its demolition. The building was a destination before; it can be a destination again--and without needing to confect a new attraction in its place. And...Read more

Since the founding of New Orleans, women have played an active role in shaping the city. The approaching tricentennial in 2018 provides an ideal opportunity for reflecting on the many women who fought for the welfare and rights of their fellow citizens and the preservation of the city’s rich heritage. The exhibition Voices of Progress: Twenty Women Who Changed New Orleans presents the

Recent News

The Pitot House will be closed Saturday, March 2, 2019 due to the Krewe of Endymion parade scheduled in the neighborhood. We apologize for the inconvenience! Hope everyone has a safe and happy Mardi Gras.

About

The Louisiana Landmarks Society promotes historic preservation through education, advocacy, and operation of the Pitot House. The Pitot House is a site for exhibitions and educational programming that promotes LLS's preservation message.